76 NOTES ON THE NORTHWEST. 



voyage thence by sea lo discover tlie mouth of the Missi- 

 sippi ; and in 1684 he sailed with a large force destined for 

 the Gulf of Mexico. He was unsuccessful in his design of 

 finding the mouth of the river ; but having built and fortified 

 two forts on the gulf, which he garrisoned with some of his 

 men, he departed from the Bay of St. Louis, in the northwest 

 part of the gulf, to make an overland expedition to his fort on 

 the Illinois, and to obtain a knowledge of the country and its 

 inhabitants. After travelling 150 leagues to the northeast, ho 

 returned to his fort in the Bay of St. Louis on the 17th of 

 October, 1786. Having remained here two months, he re- 

 solved to make a second attempt to pass over to the Illinois 

 River, and taking twenty men wath him, he departed a second 

 time from Fort St. Louis, resolved not to return till he had 

 found the Illinois. His second departure from the fort took 

 place on the 7th of January, 1687. Before he had proceeded 

 as far as on his first attempt, he was murdered with three 

 others of his company, by some of his own men. His 

 brother, M. Cavalier, with father Anastasius, M. Joutel, and 

 others of the party, made their way to the Illinois, and up 

 the river to Crevecoeur, w^here they found Mr. Tonti and his 

 garrison, and were hospitably received, and after remaining 

 some daj'S, proceeded on to Quebec. 



The next voyage in order of time is that of the Baron 

 Lahontan. He started from Machinac on the 24th Sept., 

 1688, and from the Bay of Puans, called by him the Bay of 

 the Potaw^atamies, on the 30th of the same month, with a 

 large detachment of French and five Ottawa hunters, pro- 

 vided Avith new canoes filled with provisions, munitions of 

 war, and articles for traffic with the natives. Near the Bay, 

 on the banks of the Fox River, at the time of Lahontan's 

 voyage, were villages of Sakis, Potawatamies, and some 

 Malominis, and the Jesuits had a house there. A great 



